Disney: Sweetening a Mickey Mouse Payout

Disney, the fifth-biggest Dow gainer year-to-date, raised its dividend 15%. Also paying out more: Eastman Chemical and Nucor, among others.

Walt Disney is the fifth-biggest gainer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average year-to-date, and gave an even sweeter deal to its investors this week.

The 90-year-old media juggernaut (ticker: DIS), home to Mickey Mouse, Pixar, ABC and ESPN, boosted its annual payout by 15%, to 86 cents a share from 75 cents a share, on Wednesday. The higher dividend, which will be paid on Jan. 16 to shareholders of record on Dec. 16, gives it an annual yield of 1.2%. While its yield is relatively low, the dividend boost keeps it in line...